


Stranded

by theredheadedbookworm



Category: Real Person Fiction, Richard Armitage - Fandom
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Being stranded, Blizzards & Snowstorms, Breckenridge, Colorado, Eventual Smut, F/M, Flirting, Fluff and Angst, Romance, Serious Injuries, Skiing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-23
Updated: 2014-02-23
Packaged: 2018-01-13 12:34:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,043
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1226494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theredheadedbookworm/pseuds/theredheadedbookworm
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Aislynn tries skiing for the first time it doesn’t go well. After hitting her head alone she is found by a handsome stranger named Richard. When a heavy snowstorm hits the area, he is forced to take her to an empty cabin where they are stranded for days. As they get to know one another, can Aislynn find a way to open her fragile heart?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally posted on RAF tumblr page under the name kttheredhead which is me so no one is stealing my work which is great. I don't know or own Richard or anyone from the Hobbit movie. It sucks I know, but oh well. I wish there were more Richard stories out there because he's awesome. Happy Reading!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aislynn meets the man who saves her during a bad snowstorm.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know what Richard was doing last year besides pick ups for the Hobbit movies so I'm making up his schedule :)

**Chapter 1**

_February 2013, Breckenridge, Colorado, USA._

“Come on Red! Let’s go!”

“Shut up already, I’m coming along if I can keep these damn skis on!” Aislynn Thornton snapped back at some of her friends that had been waiting impatiently for her. She hated skiing and could not remember how she was even convinced to go with them today. Aislynn was a teacher, not athletic or a skier. She had only agreed to go to get the teachers around her to shut up.

“Here Aislynn.” One of the males joining them Brett bent down and helped her fasten them before standing up tall. He held out his hand for hers and she placed both of her gloved hands in his before standing up as well holding onto the ski poles as best as she could.

“Ready love?” He asked her curiously with a smirk and she rolled her eyes.

“Stop with the ‘love’ crap Brett, I’m not interested in men right now. They are all useless morons anyways.” Aislynn retorted as he rolled her eyes mocking her.

“Whatever, just because you got hurt doesn’t mean that all men are like that.”

“Right and I’m the Queen of England. Now let’s go.” Aislynn argued tired of defending herself and her love life to anyone. What happened with Andrew could not happen again. She could still hear the gasps of shock from people when she realized that she had been left at the altar ten minutes before the wedding ceremony was suppose to start. No, that could never happen again. No men forever and ever, she vowed to herself.

Thank God for goggles and hats big enough to cover her face so that people couldn’t see the tears threatening to fall down her frosty, cold cheeks. She nodded when everyone pushed off from the top of the hill and she slowly inched her way forward to the front. Before she could realize how to exactly maneuver in these damn things, she felt herself falling forward and heading straight down the mountain.

Aislynn let out the loudest scream she could manage as she kept flying down faster.

“Stop!” Someone yelled besides her.

“I don’t know how!” She yelled back through her scarf that was now whipping against her mouth hard. She couldn’t believe this was happening.

“Cross the skis.” The voice told her and she did so, but not before flipping forward and rolling around in the snow. Screaming the entire way, she tried to stop herself and yelled once again as she felt herself hitting her legs against a large rock. She groaned loudly before gasping at how painful that felt. Immediately letting go of a ski pole to place her hand against her right ankle, Aislynn pulled it away gasping as she saw blood soaking through a glove.

“HELP!” She screamed as loud as she could, but over the roar of the mountains and the sounds of skiers flying past her, she knew it wouldn’t be easy. She was a fighter, she didn’t give up and she kept yelling it before crying out in pain again. She hoped that someone would find her because she couldn’t move her ankle and knowing that if she wasn’t found soon, she could possibly die from the cold.

One hour later

“Help! Please!” She yelled once more as the snow began to fall even heavier than before. She cursed to herself and slowly crawled forward before sliding onto the icy, snowy ground. She felt dizzy, nauseous from the pain and the blood, everything hurt, and she was shaking from the cold and was afraid she could be freezing to death.

Slumping forward, her hand reached out before she felt herself wanting to sleep. Suddenly a faint voice sounded close, “Help! I’m stranded!” Aislynn cried out before closing her eyes suddenly giving into the voice in her head to sleep before she felt herself being rolled over onto her back.

“Miss! Are you alright?! Can you hear me?!” One deep voice asked frantically. It sounded…British. Oh no, not other man like Andrew with an accent, she thought groaning once again.

“Richard she’s bleeding! Look!” An Irish accent exclaimed as she groaned.

“Ankle…broken.” She said.

“She has a broken ankle!”

“I picked up on that Aidan, now you and Dean get help before this snowstorm hits. I’ll help her.” The deep British voice said as she heard footsteps in the snow running away.

“No wait, don’t leave!” Aislynn begged softly letting the tears fall as the wind picked up suddenly and she gasped loudly.

“Shit! Miss hang on, the big snowstorm is here! I’m going to pick you up and get you help. Can you tell me your name?!” He asked her loudly over the wind as he slowly reached down and picked her heavily sore, cold body.

“Ais…Aislynn…you’re Richard.” She said as she felt her teeth chattering together from the coldness.

“Yes I am Richard, Aislynn stay with me, don’t close your eyes.” Richard commanded as he headed down the mountain on his boots abandoning his own skis as fast as he could. However the more he ran, the more he could not see the town of Breckenridge at the end of the mountain. He could not get her to safety in time and he glanced around panicked until he saw something in the background.

“Sleepy.” Aislynn told him snuggling into his warm chest sighing with content.

“No Aislynn you have to stay awake! Hold onto me tightly!” Richard practically yelled at her not even bothering to be polite or kind at this moment. He ran towards the back and saw a small cabin. He ran over to there as fast as he could trying not to fall down and send Aislynn into the air causing any more damage to her. He jogged up the porch and kicked open the door noticing that it was small and that it was empty. He rushed and placed Aislynn onto the large couch while running to close the door behind him locking it. He saw that the electricity was still on, for now, he thought bitterly to himself before throwing off his gloves and hat rushing to fill up water bottles and grabbed a towel placing hot water on it and brought it over to Aislynn. He placed it on her forehead as he glanced over to find that there was a huge fireplace.

“Aislynn tell me your name. Keep talking to me, we’re going to get you warmed up soon.” Richard begged her before grabbing piles of woods and throwing them into the fireplace while snatching a box of matches. He lit a match and threw it into the fireplace before rushing around the cabin to see if there was anything that he could use to warm Aislynn up.

“Aislynn…Thornton…so cold Richard. So tired.” She murmured as he found some towels and quickly ran over to her and taking off her clothes quickly and wrapping them around her now naked body. He felt a bit flushed at the idea of her being naked in him yet that didn’t matter to him much as he shook off his own jacket as the electricity went out suddenly.

“Fuck.” Richard cursed as he stopped rubbing her for a second and ran to find food that could be eaten from the refrigerator hoping that there was enough food to eat. He quickly whipped out his cell phone and cursed out loud when he saw there was no signal. Running over to her pile of clothes, he dug around for a cell phone and found one. However that one had no signal on hers as well. He glanced up suddenly when he saw Aislynn with her eyes closed.

“Aislynn wake up! You have to stay awake in case you have a concussion! Please open your eyes my dear, for me. What’s my name?” Richard asked frantically as he shook her shoulders a bit before she didn’t move. Oh God what was he going to do?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What happens when the power goes out and the pipes freeze? Secrets are revealed and for the first time ever, Aislynn has faith and trust in a handsome stranger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter needs a disclaimer, mentions violence and abusive relationships. So there's your heads up.

**Chapter 2**

Taking a deep breath, Richard noticed that she was still breathing and trying to warm up. He checked her forehead for injuries and only found her ankle covered in dried blood. As he found another towel and wrapped it around her ankle before elevating on the couch, he stopped when he saw a straight line on her hip. Richard raised an eyebrow as he carefully pulled the towel aside and he gasped at how many scars there were on her perfect, pale skin.

He carefully trailed one that was on her stomach and she jumped in surprise in her sleep. He himself jumped a bit startled at how cold she was yet couldn’t help, but ignore the sudden spark he had felt in his hand. He ran a hand through her tangled, shoulder-length red hair before getting up and grabbing a washcloth and putting some water on it as he made his way towards her again.

“Aislynn.” He murmured as he shook her shoulders a bit and feeling her jolt once more against the blankets. He shushed her gently as he kneeled down in front of the couch and carefully jabbed at her ankle that was definitely sprained, or worse broken. He carefully cleaned her wound before she cried out from the pain and woke up suddenly.

“That bloody hurts!” She snapped a bit before realizing that this man was her savior. Aislynn yawned before glancing around at the cabin. Her memory was a bit fuzzy and she gasped before trying to stand up. Richard however was quick and pushed her back against the couch.

“You are not going anywhere Aislynn and I apologize if that bloody hurts, but I need to clean your wound before it gets infected. Do you know who I am or where you are?” Richard asked curiously as he kneeled back down in front of her to finish working on cleaning up her wound.

“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to snap, you’re Richard right? Last time I checked we were in Breckenridge, however, this is not my [hotel](http://rasexualfrustration.tumblr.com/post/54146016498/stranded-chapter-2#) room. Is this your cabin?” She asked curiously and he laughed for the first time since the storm hit.

“Oh no this isn’t my cabin, you were gravely injured and that big snowstorm that everyone keeps talking about is here and we were stuck here. I checked both of our [cell phones](http://rasexualfrustration.tumblr.com/post/54146016498/stranded-chapter-2#) and both have no signal.  The electricity is out right now and God only knows when the pipes will freeze. So I have some water saved and some food ready. We shall be alright for a couple days in case we are stuck here. I know my mates will figure out when they are not drinking that I have gone missing and I’m sure your friends will as well and yes I am Richard. It’s nice to meet you.” He replied and she snorted before blushing a bit. She doubted her friends knew that she was missing and injured at the moment.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, thank you for saving me. Not a lot of people would have done that and thank you…for well taking care of me. You could be safe and warm in a hotel or another cabin right now.”

Richard grinned at her, “True, but what’s life without a bit of adventure? You’re more than welcome for the save, all in a day’s work.”

Aislynn couldn’t help but laugh a bit, “So this happens on a daily basis for you?”

“Yes.” He said with a straight face before the both of them began laughing as he finished cleaning her wound and he carefully placed her wrapped ankle on the pillow once again.

“That was good acting skills…for five seconds. You should be an actor.” She said with a laugh.

“I actually am one, funny that you mention it.”

“You’re an actor? Right and I’m the Tooth Fairy. What movies have you been in?” Aislynn asked curiously raising an eyebrow at him. Not another wannabe actor, she groaned to herself as her heart told her to shut up and give the guy a chance. After all, he had indeed saved her life.

“I had a small role in Captain America, however, the biggest and most recent movie I’ve been in was ‘The Hobbit’. I played a dwarf.” He replied curious to see her reaction.

“Never saw Captain America, I’m more of a Superman girl and Hobbit? Peter Jackson’s movie? Wow…wait! Wait! You’re Thorin aren’t you? Thorin Oakensomething aren’t you? You know the grumpy one with a stick up his arse?” Aislynn asked shocked as her eyes got a bit wide.

Richard laughed heartily and carefully sat on the ottoman next to her, “Yes that movie and yes I play Thorin Oakenshield, however I think I like your name better for him. He does have a stick up his arse, but that makes him who he is.”

Blushing a bit, she simply shrugged her shoulders, “Well I do like that movie, I saw it in theatres. I guess I just made the connection…Richard Armitage.” She smirked at him and he grinned at her.

“It’s alright, I appreciate the discretion Aislynn Thornton. I played a character with your surname almost ten years ago. North and South.”

“Really? Isn’t that a book as well?” She asked curiously raising an eyebrow at him.

“Indeed it was, it is really good if you like historical romance about a mill owner and a teacher’s daughter who hate one another in the beginning and end up together at the end. Of course there is drama in there, but then again what’s life without that drama crap?” He replied with a smirk and she snorted and rolled her eyes.

“I definitely understand what you mean. I’m not the biggest romance fan, however, since you recommended it and you played a man with my last name in it, I will check it out. I should probably reread the Hobbit as well. I haven’t read it since school….hey can I have some water? My throat hurts.” She asked the last part quietly feeling like a burden since she couldn’t get up and get it herself. She hated that feeling.

“Of course! I’m sorry,” He said jumping up from his spot and rushed into the kitchen grabbed a bottled water and ran into the living room where she was waiting for him glancing into the fire, “Please drink this slowly Aislynn.” He told her and she couldn’t help, but shiver a bit when he said her name. What in the hell? She thought to herself, don’t turn into a lovesick puppy just because a handsome and nice man saved her and gave her attention. He had to give her attention.

She slowly took the water from him and slowly drank some of it before yawning and placing the bottle cap on it before placing it on the carpet.

“I’m tired.” She told him softly and he nodded.

“Alright sweet dreams.” He told her just as softly as she snuggled deeper into the warm blankets. She was getting back to normal body temperature and she felt better minus the ankle of course. She gave him a sweet smile before closing her eyes falling into a deep slumber.

  _“Get in here you fat, ugly slut!” He growled at her before yanking on Aislynn’s arm roughly throwing her onto the floor of their apartment._

_“Daniel please, I’m sorry!” Aislynn literally begged him as tears came flowing down her face. She immediately backed up away from him, crawling on the floor as he stomped over to her and grabbed her hair roughly. She yelped in pain before he threw her head against the wall hard._

_“I’m sorry my ass, you will be sorry after you fucking humiliated me in front of my family! You are so bloody stupid and worthless. I don’t know why I even bother with you. You are nothing, you’re a nobody Aislynn. Nobody wants you, nobody loves you.”  Daniel growled at her as he took her head in his hands once more and slammed it against the wall once before releasing her._

_Feeling the hot tears fall down her face, she could not hide them anymore. Everything he said she felt. She felt all of those things and it was because of him. The two years of physical, mental, emotional and sexual abuse that he had put her through was something she felt as if she deserved. Surely she could change for him._

_“Please Daniel, give me another chance.” She begged him softly before watching him in horror as he stomped over to the dining room. He threw a chair down and tore off a leg from the chair. He marched over to her and she immediately began to panic._

_“No Daniel please!” She cried as he flipped over on her back and began hitting her with the leg of the chair. She bit down on her lip knowing that if she cried out loud, it would be worse for her. He slowly turned the leg over so that the torn wood was up and he sliced her backside slowly like a whip. She felt tears flowing down her cheeks and onto the ground. Then suddenly the beating stopped and she was flipped over onto her back._

_Gasping from the pain, Aislynn watched helplessly as her boyfriend ripped off his jeans and yanked her pants down._

_“Now you will pay for your mistake you ugly bitch!” He growled at her slapping her face hard and roughly entering her causing her to cry out loud._

_“No!” She screamed loudly before he hit her again across the face once more._

“NO!” Aislynn’s voice rang out throughout the cabin and Richard immediately dropped preparing dinner for them as best as he could. He ran into the living room and saw Aislynn thrashing around in her sleep. Before he knew it, she had rolled over and flew to the room.

“Aislynn!” He cried out running over to her as her eyes flew open, tears running down her face. She gasped and glanced around remembering where she was and who she was. It was Richard, not Daniel. Daniel was in prison, Richard was here.

“Richard…” She whispered before placing her head in her hands before beginning to sob loudly. He shushed her before wrapping her in his arms wondering what exactly had happened to make her do this. What had she dreamed about…or rather had a nightmare about?


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richard makes them lunch and Aislynn reveals the truth and realizes that she is not sure if she can let him go when they are found.

Chapter 3

It took everything in Aislynn to try and stop crying like a sobbing baby who was starving. She felt so angry and disappointed in herself at this moment. Here she was bawling in Richard’s arms barely covered by the blankets about something that happened almost three years ago. The abuse Daniel put her through was a living hell, yet she had somehow survived and here she was. Years of therapy had just gone down the drain as she processed fully that she had a nightmare about one of the last times he had beaten her and raped her. The last time, she had snapped and fought back finally. Yet that had only landed her in a hospital waking up after being in a coma for four days. That abuse would always remain with her, the physical reminders in her scars and the mental images that could trigger at any moment in time. She hated it, all she wanted to do was move on.

However being a domestic violence victim, it would take more time for her apparently. She hated it. She loathed it. Aislynn just wanted to move on and find trust and love with another man. Was that so hard for someone like her with so many trust issues to do? She had goals and dreams, Daniel had crushed them. She wanted love and devotion from her boyfriend, Daniel had crushed those. Her heart, her soul, Daniel had crushed those as well. Now when she was gaining strength and confidence again, here she was having nightmares again. 

As she felt a hand softly rub the back of her head, Aislynn’s head snapped back up. Through blurred eyes, she could see the concern and confusion written all over Richard’s face. 

“Aislynn….” He murmured to her as he wiped her flood of tears away from her cheeks. 

“I’m so sorry Richard….I just had a nightmare that’s all.” She replied wiping away her tears and wrapping the blankets around herself once more. 

“I can tell, but what about? What kind of nightmare could trigger you crying like this?” He asked curiously.

“Nothing.”

“Bullshit, I cannot stand liars so please don’t lie. You can tell me you know. I won’t judge you or anything.” Richard snorted at the beginning, but becoming softly spoken once again at the end. Aislynn’s eyes narrowed a bit. 

“How do I know that you’re not just feeling sorry for me? How do I know that you really care or even understand what has happened to me? My nightmares…they don’t happen a lot…anymore. So don’t even act like you care when you don’t. Men don’t care about anything that women do when they cry!” Aislynn exclaimed as she suddenly got up away from his warm embrace and went to walk towards the bedroom for privacy; however, she fell onto the hard floor once she placed her feet on the ground. 

Richard rolled his eyes and kneeled besides her once more, “Look at me Aislynn.”

“No.” 

“Do it or I’ll make you.” 

“You don’t scare me.”

“I don’t want to scare you; I want to care about you! Let me take care of you!” He growled as he grabbed her shoulders tightly and turned her so that she was staring up into his eyes, “I don’t feel sorry for you. Why would I? I’m not about to run off and tell the whole world your life story. It makes me angry that you tell me not to judge you yet you judge me. You are not perfect and neither am I and it’s so damn obvious that someone has hurt you. I’m not that person and not all men are like that. So whatever issues you are having, you need to sort them out. However right now you need to realize that I’m only here to help you. I’m not here for the publicity or make myself look like the hero. When someone is hurt, it is the right thing to do to take care of them. Most people aren’t nice, but I’m not most people. It’s fine if you don’t want to tell me your nightmares, but if you want some relief or help, then I can’t help you unless you tell me.” He told her sternly.

For Aislynn it was the same story all over again, she knew he was correct. It was the same thing she heard over and over from her friends and her own therapist. Hearing it from a complete stranger and someone she knew was genuinely trying to take care of her, meant something else. It was a bit of a revelation. Now she felt guilty for snapping at him.

“I know you care and it means everything to me that you found me and got me out of there. I’m grateful from the bottom of my heart Richard and I’m…I’m sorry for snapping. My nightmare was about my ex-boyfriend that’s all. He did hurt me, but I’ve moved on from it.” She explained a bit hiding the details. Richard couldn’t help, but feel his blood boil when he heard that this man hurt her. He had a feeling that it was more than emotionally or verbally, yet men like that made him want to give them a taste of their own medicine. He wasn’t a violent person, but whoever did this to her, deserved to get his ass kicked. 

He gave her a quick smile, “You’re welcome from the bottom of my heart. I’m also sorry that a little boy has hurt you. I can hire a hit man for you.” He joked lamely and was glad to see her laugh. Her laugh was adorable, he thought instantly.

“That would be great, go right ahead.” She commented with a grin before slowly leaning over and touching Richard’s warm cheek and glancing into his eyes. 

“Thank you for that….but um can you help me? I need to go to the bathroom and I should change into real clothes.”

He smiled and had to roll his shoulders back in order to ignore the shiver he felt running up his spine, “Absolutely.” He replied as he stood up and swiftly took her in his arms lifting her up as if she weighed nothing. She was not a supermodel, nor was she overweight. She looked nothing like a Hollywood actress or a musician, yet that never mattered to her. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he led her throughout the cabin and found the bathroom. He placed her inside close to the sink and closed the door for privacy. He then turned around while she went to the bathroom and glanced through the closet looking for something in her size. He grabbed a pair of sweatpants, a t-shirt and a hooded sweatshirt knowing that would help her stay up. He didn’t find anything for a woman in the closet so he grabbed a pair of boxers and two pairs of socks in case her feet got cold. 

A knock was heard and he rushed over to help her. He held his arm around her small waist as he guided her to the bed where the clothes were laid out on. She smirked at the clothing options and he shrugged. 

“No women clothes.”

“Fine by me, I need comfort more than sexy or anything right now.” She replied with a laugh as he grinned and went to remove the blanket, but she stopped and shook her head. 

“I’ll be right outside.” He told her as he went to the door and closed it behind her. 

She sighed with relief as he agreed with her request and quickly shook off the blankets. Shivering as she grabbed the boxers and sweatpants and slowly sat on the bed. Putting her legs through made her ankle throb with pain once again and she groaned in pain. She quickly placed the boxers and sweatpants on before standing up a bit to place them right on her hips. Grabbing the shirt and sweatshirt, she placed them over her head gently as she felt herself getting warm. She glanced around and noticed the socks. 

“Richard!” She called out knowing that she would need help doing that. He rushed inside and she held up the socks, “Please?”

He gave her a nod and a smile before walking over as she handed him the socks. He unrolled them and slowly placed them over her left foot which was fine. He carefully placed the socks on over her right ankle that was black and blue. She hissed from the pain as he placed on the second pair and then he lifted her up in his arms once again as they went back into the living room. He set her down on the blankets in front of the fireplace where dinner was waiting for them. On two plates were grilled cheese sandwich, chicken noodle soup in a bowl with some water and crackers. It was the type of food that Aislynn only ate when sick, but right now anything sounded good.

“Thank you. How did you make the soup? Stove?” She asked curiously and he nodded as he sat next to her. 

“Yeah surprisingly enough the gas still works.” He replied and she reached over and knocked on the hard floor letting out a grin as he chuckled gently. 

“It looks and smells amazing, thank you.” She said softly with a grin as she took a bite from the grilled cheese sandwich. He took a bite of his own sandwich and then they reached for bottled water at the same time. Their fingers grazed for a second and she turned to look at him. He glanced at her and slowly took a finger and trailed it across her top lip.

“You have some crumbs…” he trailed off softly as his finger grazed her top lip and her hand slowly touched his cheek once more before she could realize what was happening. He closed his eyes and sighed with content before opening his eyes to see her smiling at him. His hand trailed to her cheek and rubbed it gently noticing that she had washed it earlier. 

“Richard…” she whispered softly as she leaned towards him and before both could think about the circumstances or environment, their lips touched softly. He slowly pulled away staring at her wondering what would her reaction be, “Aislynn.” He murmured back softly and she swore she felt chills running down her own spine.

Aislynn gave him a small smile before she leaned back over and kissed him once again on the lips.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richard snaps some sense into Aislynn and a romance starts to blossom.

Before she could even register what was going on, Aislynn found her own body betraying her as she touched her warm lips towards Richard’s eagerly awaiting lips. He had kissed her for the first time and a part of her wanted to jump apart. It was too soon, her head was telling her, that she wasn’t fully over Daniel or the memories of the abuse. Take your time; her therapist had told her, that love would come whenever the time was right. Bullshit, she had thought to herself at the time. She never thought that she would ever find love once more. Or even a man like Richard. Not that she was in love with the man that saved her, but for some reason she couldn’t help, but feel this way about him. 

Her heart was telling her to take it easy, but to enjoy this moment. For it may never happen again, she was for certain. She could possibly never see him after they were found by the authorities. God knew when that would be so in the meantime to enjoy herself. Richard was not Daniel nor would he ever be. He would probably never lay a hand on her. He would never force himself on her without her consent. He would never call her a slut when she would become pregnant and then push her down a flight of stairs causing her to lose the baby. All Aislynn wanted to do was to find a man who respected and loved her. 

Was that too much to ask for? 

Turning her attention towards the amazing man in front of her again, Aislynn watched with a small grin as he smiled and met her lips in a kiss. She softly moaned against his lips realizing just how much she had missed the simple touch from a man. Deciding to be brave, she opened her mouth a bit more as she felt Richard’s arms tightening around her waist, tugging her close to him. She slowly wrapped both arms around his neck, one hand running it up into his brown hair. She massaged the back of his head gently causing him to groan softly as he pressed her against his warm body. 

“You are gorgeous, you know…” he told her with a smile before kissing her once again on the lips. Ignoring his words, Aislynn kissed him back a bit more deeply once again as their mouths opened. Aislynn moaned softly as their tongues met in a gentle duel. She scooted a bit back as he fell on top of her with a grin. He chuckled gently as he kept his arms wrapped tightly around her, protecting her from the fall. 

“Richard…” She murmured as he leaned down and trailed kisses down her cheek towards her neck. The kisses had her feeling dizzy yet it was a welcoming feeling for her. She had never felt this way or reacted this way from a man’s touch before. She moaned softly running a hand down his back. His hand roamed over her hip along her side towards her waist. She bit down on her bottom lip gently as she suddenly felt herself arching up against him. She felt as if she was on fire from his touch. If something wasn’t done sooner….

“Aislynn, you’re exquisite. Beautiful.” He murmured against her warm neck nibbling on it a bit more as one hand trailed across her stomach lifting up the sweater and t-shirt revealing her bare midriff. She sucked in a deep breath nervously as he ran his hand across it. She could easily find herself letting him touch her like that again. She was like putty when he gave her a simple, soft touch, it was insane. 

As much as she enjoyed every aspect of this moment, the young redhead found herself becoming nervous. Don’t find the scars, she thought to herself before freezing in her spot. His hand stopped at her burn mark, when Daniel had pinned her down and placed a hot iron in her side when she had not ironed his pants right for his work. She hated irons yet everything had to be perfect for Daniel. 

He rubbed her scar as he stopped and glanced down at it. 

“Richard don’t please.” She softly begged him as he glanced down at her with worried eyes.

“Don’t what?” 

“You know what; you’re too smart for your own good sometimes.”  
Richard ignored her and ran a hand across it again as he glanced down at it before meeting her gaze once more, “Did this asshole do this to you?”

“Why do you even care?” Aislynn asked curiously raising an eyebrow at him and was a bit shocked to see him raise an eyebrow at her as if he was challenging her back.

“Because no woman ever deserves to be smacked around or struck because their boyfriend or spouse was a bloody coward, so please tell me.” 

“That is really none of your business Richard. We are not dating so it doesn’t even matter.” She replied back staring up at him both of them oblivious to the fact that he was still lying on top of her. 

“Dammit Aislynn just tell me yes or no! Why must you question compliments or anything sincere being said to you?!” Richard demanded and she scowled at him.

“Fine you really want to know?! Then yes Daniel my bastard of an ex boyfriend did that to me! He gave me all of the scars on my body! He raped me almost every single night! He beat me severely every single day! He made me feel as if I was a worthless nobody! Then when I finally fought back, he tried to kill me! Okay happy now?!” She snapped at him glaring at him instantly regretting the nasty tone in her voice and her words. 

She watched with regretful eyes as he suddenly untangled himself from her. He got up and then helped her sit up again before he took a bite of his sandwich before throwing it on the plate in anger.

“Richard…wait I’m sorry…” 

“Just stop talking for a bloody second and let me say something Aislynn. Why the hell would I be happy about the idea of an amazing, talented, kind woman getting beaten and raped daily?! I hope Daniel rots in prison and then in hell where he belongs. Second of all, this attitude of yours needs to stop. Like it or not we are stuck here together until help arrives and I for one would love to get to know you more beyond the scars and the rough times in your life. I want to know everything about you Aislynn Thornton! Your favorite color, your job, your hobbies, your passions, everything! I don’t know why, but I feel as if I have known you my entire life. I just want you to stop with the negativity! It’s gotten old and I deserved to be respected, don’t you agree?” Richard asked turning towards her with a slight glare.

Damn he really was scary when he was angry, she slowly nodded. Note to self, never make Richard mad and watch the tone.

“Green, teacher, playing my violin is my hobby and passion, I love to read novels. I love pizza and Italian food, but only with marinara sauce. I am from Ireland hence my name, but live in Indiana. I am a real redhead; I love ketchup, but hate tomatoes. Technology annoys me sometimes and I always have wanted to travel the world. Not much else to know though and yes I agree, you do deserve respect. I will work harder on my confidence and attitude. I am so sorry Richard, you are a wonderful person and I don’t want to screw up anything. Just please don’t be mad at me.” Aislynn murmured to him and he smiled a bit as she answered her question. 

“I can never stay angry with you; just believe me when I give you compliments.” He compromised to her as he bent down and placed his hand in front of hers. She let out a genuine laugh as she placed her hand in his and shook it gently.

“Deal if you promise to be patient with me and maybe later I will be able to tell you about Daniel…I’ll try.” 

Richard smiled kindly and handed her her own plate of food, “Deal.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aislynn tries to do some strange physical therapy with the help of the cute Mr. Armitage and one noise changes everything at the end.

The Next Morning

“You know what would be fun and good for your ankle?” Richard asked curiously as he was being nosy and searching through closets for something to do.

Aislynn glanced up from her book that she had found on the bookshelf. She felt guilty a bit for reading someone else’s books, but it wasn’t like she was stealing them. In addition, she and Richard both needed something to do. While talking to one another was nice, both of them were getting a bit restless and it was only the second day. Barely together for twenty-four hours and both of them were beyond ready to get out of the cabin. They weren’t ready to leave one another, but ready to explore Colorado again.

“Why am I suddenly scared?” She asked teasing him a bit.

He let out a hearty laugh and held up a box.

Aislynn read the contents on the box and immediately began to shake her head, “Bloody hell, are you mental? I can’t do that. My ankle would kill me.”

“Come on, it would be really good exercise for you Aislynn.” He argued back and she rolled her eyes.

“No way.”

“You are a spoilsport honestly, it’s just ‘Twister’.” Richard said rolling his eyes repeating her actions.

“It’s not just ‘Twister’ to me Richard, it’s a fun game that you have to bend over a lot and move around. I would completely do it if I didn’t have a screwed up ankle.”

“So that’s why it’s good exercise. Don’t you want to ski again when they find us?”

“Not exactly, I’m obviously not the best skier. That was my first time out there. Never again will I do it.” She snorted.

Richard chuckled a bit and sat down next to her opening the box and handing her the spinner, “Give it a shot again you might enjoy it. Didn’t you have an instructor?”

“Nope, I came with friends. They were trying to teach me how.”

“Bad idea, next time have an instructor, or myself go with you. I’ve been doing it for years.”

“You save lives, you’re an actor, you’re handsome and an expert skier is there anything you can’t do?” Aislynn teased him and he grinned.

“I can’t tell jokes that well.”

“Oh come on, you have to know at least one good joke. Tell me one.”

“Okay, the only joke I know is a blonde walks into a bar, you would have thought she’d seen it. I swear that’s the only joke I know love.” He revealed with a laugh as Aislynn digested the joke and laughed a bit.

“Okay that was pretty good, but how about the ones you hear from others? Oh wait! Impressions, do one for me! Be gruff like Grumpyass Thorin or something!” Aislynn asked with a laugh as he shook his head and laughed once again.

“No no I don’t do voices either.”

“Wait you’re an actor and you can’t do voices when someone asks you to? Doesn’t that sound strange?” She asked curiously.

“Maybe, but a lot of times I don’t have cute redheads asking me to do random voices when I’m trying to get them to exercise their sprained ankle.” Richard smirked at her.

“Don’t try and change the subject, women are much better at doing that than men are!” Aislynn said with a laugh.

He rolled his eyes and got up to lay down the board, “So are you going to do it with me?”

“No you’ll go first and maybe I’ll go later.” She replied.

“Fine, spin woman.” He told her with a laugh as he took off his shoes after checking on the fire that was still burning bright and stepping foot onto the board.

Aislynn rolled her eyes, but tried to hide her smile from him behind the spinner as she spun using her fingers. It stopped and she glanced up.

“Right foot green.”

Richard did as he was instructed, “Left hand yellow.” She said as she spun again watching him bend over. His bottom was right in front of her and she stifled back a smirk.

He glanced over his shoulder, “Don’t be staring at my ass either.”

Aislynn laughed, “You’re just so modest aren’t you? Right hand red.” She said with a laugh as she only smirked. He winked at her with a laugh as he bent down and slipped a tiny bit trying to maneuver his way around the board. He caught himself quickly and grinned at her again playfully.

She grinned back as she glanced at him and spun the spinner without even glancing down at it. Slowly she stared at it before staring back at him, “Green…I mean left foot green.”

He smirked and glanced at her before doing what he was told, but slipped while not paying attention and landed on his side. Aislynn laughed as he grinned and motioned for her to join him.

“I said maybe.”

“That’s not fair and you know it.”

“Who said I played by the rules?” She asked with a smirk.

He only raised an eyebrow and stood up straight up before walking over to her and without saying a word; he lifted her up off the couch ignoring her protests and set her up on her feet.

“Really? Did you have to do that?!” Aislynn asked rolling her eyes and Richard smirked and took the spinner from her as she held onto him for support. He spun it around as he set it down on the ottoman and watched as it stopped.

“Left hand blue.” He told her softly before she slowly leaned down and tried to keep her balance as best as she could. Feeling his strong yet gentle hands place themselves on her waist, he held her steady as he spun it again and he did the same. When it stopped she glanced over as best as she could.

“Right foot green.” She said a bit nervous knowing that there was a good chance of falling down. As she slowly moved her foot, she winced a bit from the pain as he stood up and guiding her body to turn around like she wanted before finding her balance once again. He grinned down at her as he did the same before leaning over and spinning the spinner again. She glanced over at it at the same time he did and she groaned.

“Right hand yellow.”

“This is impossible Richard.” Aislynn said with a groan.

“No it’s not, here I’ll go first,” He replied as he twisted his body swiftly around and waited for her to do the same, “Want some help?”

“No I think I got it.” She commented back with a nervous smile as she leaned over and bent forward before losing her grip and falling down on her stomach hard. She gasped loudly from the unexpected fall and she felt herself being rolled over and glancing up into Richard’s concerned eyes.

“Are you alright?” He asked curiously checking for more injuries.

She slowly nodded, “I’m fine…” she replied as he grinned suddenly and ran a finger across her forehead.

“What am I going to do with you if you just keep falling?” He asked her and she shrugged.

“Leave me alone?”

“Nice try, you need to keep moving. How about a walk around the living room?”

“Only if you hang onto me and don’t let go.” She replied compromising as he grinned and picked her up easily once again.

“I would never let go.” He told her softly as she simply stared into his gorgeous blue eyes that shined when he laughed or smiled. Running a hand through his long hair, Richard couldn’t help, but smile at her sweetly. Still holding onto her, he set her down on the hardwood floor, keeping his arm around her waist. Staring down in her eyes, he grinned and pressed his cheek against hers leaning in slowly to touch her lips with his once more.

A loud ring startled the both of them and both Richard and Aislynn turned their heads as they realized that the loud noise was the ringing of a cell phone.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are not as always as they seem as our lovely almost couple realize...

Aislynn slowly turned her head back towards Richard as the loud noise filled the air once again.

“It’s the phone…” She slowly said running a hand down his cheek once more and then pulled away startled.

“The phone!” She yelled as Richard’s warm embrace left her as he rushed towards their dried clothes. He searched for his cell phone and found it to be cold and unresponsive. He placed it on the table and quickly searched Aislynn’s ski pants for hers. He picked it up and saw that it had stopped ringing.

“Damn it.” He said out loud as he turned towards Aislynn who frowned a bit.

“Can you call whoever it was back?”

“Do you want me to call Christian back?” Richard asked curiously raising an eyebrow at her.

“YES! Call him back!” Aislynn replied frantically and he glanced at her phone before setting it aside and she stopped as she made her way over him, “What are you doing? Call him back Richard! He could set for help! Here give me my phone!”

“No.”

“No? Why the hell not?” Aislynn exclaimed pushing her red hair out of her face becoming more frustrated.

“I’m going to ignore the fact that a man just called for you and it may bother you that we’re stuck in here, but we have food, water, firewood and things to do. I’m not reliable on technology.”

“Are you stating that I am? He could call for help!”

“No I’m not, look outside Aislynn, the snow is still falling hard and I for one don’t think it’s a good idea to have people come out here to look for us until the blizzard is done.” Richard argued with her and moved towards her to help her sit down.

Pushing him away from her, she crossed her arms over her chest, “Perhaps you’re right, but you could at least give someone a heads up. Christian cares for me, he would have called for help.”

“So I could see you make out with your boyfriend when you two reunite? Ha I don’t think so.” He snapped at her and her eyebrows raised before laughing loudly. She fell back onto the couch almost slipping off of it as she caught herself. Struggling to sit up, she continued to laugh as she felt two strong hands helping her sit up.

“What the hell is so funny?” Richard demanded crossing his arms over his chest as he watched her laugh at him. It was driving him mental.

“Christian is not my boyfriend, he is a fellow teacher that I work with and he’s married. Were you jealous?” She asked curiously.

Letting out a sigh of relief that he hadn’t realized he had been holding in, Richard couldn’t help, but smile, “Maybe.”

“Liar, you were and you know it. It’s okay, if a girl called you, I’d probably get a bit jealous myself.”

“I know all you women can get jealous for no reason, but why?”

Aislynn stopped giggling and raised an eyebrow, “Seriously? Did you just compare me to all women? Again?! Boy Armitage, you’re cruising for a bruising, aren’t you?”

“I’m what? And just answer the question.”

“Cruising for a bruising, haven’t you ever heard of that expression? And I don’t know, women…we’re just more emotional I guess.”

“No I haven’t, that’s funny though.” Richard told her with a grin as he sat next to her on the couch watching the fire roar in the fireplace wrapping an arm around her.

“You will be getting a bruising if you don’t hand me my phone. I want to attempt to call someone.” She told him softly and he shook his head.

“No you go get it.”

“Asshole, why do I like you again?” Aislynn grumbled as Richard only smirked and helped her stand up. She knew he was doing this on purpose. Giving him a slight scowl, Aislynn made her way towards the table slowly trying to put some weight on her ankle. She hissed in pain as she grabbed onto the table. Clinching the sides for support, she grabbed her phone and quickly called Christian back. Nothing happened and she glared at it when the bars disappeared and it said she had no service again. She grabbed his phone and called a number that read the name ‘Aidan’ on there and still nothing.

“Aislynn come back love.” He called for her and she sighed.

“So who’s Aidan? Your secret lover or something?” Aislynn asked making her way towards the couch as Richard laughed.

“No he’s not and Aidan is Aidan Turner. Kili from the movie.”

“The hot one?” Aislynn asked curiously.

“Wait I’m not hot?”

“Not when you play a grumpy arse like Thorin, other times, you’re okay.” She replied with a laugh as she slowly sat down next to him letting out a yawn feeling tired all of a sudden.

Richard didn’t miss the yawn that had come out of her mouth and he knew it was getting close to evening now since it had gotten a bit darker outside, “Let’s go to bed.”

“No you can stay up, I’m fine. I’m not tired.” She replied before a yawn escaped her mouth as he laid her down on the couch making sure to cover her with blankets. Running a hand over her forehead, he gave her a smile.

“Don’t leave…” she softly begged him as he smiled and climbed over her on the couch and held her tightly to him. Aislynn snuggled into his warm chest wrapping her arms around him. Soon she was asleep and Richard couldn’t help, but to think that he never wanted this moment to end. And when they were discovered, he couldn’t lose her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the most recent chapter that I have. I plan on writing more hopefully soon! Thanks for reading so far and I hope to have more up soon!


	7. Chapter 7

**Prologue**

_Late November 2013_

_Aislynn’s Point of View:_

As I slowly place on the high heels that matched my green dress, I slowly heard a gruff curse word come out of the mouth of my amazing fiancé. Tonight was the world premiere of his new movie, the 2nd Hobbit movie and I knew he was nervous. Not that I blamed him, I was never as well. He had always been a private person and for the first time ever, he was bringing a real date to a movie premiere. He had become more successful and popular than he could ever imagine. I was more than proud of him yet watching him struggle to put on a tie was a bit amusing.

Normally he could put on a tie perfectly, but he growled suddenly and threw it on the ground. “Aislynn stop laughing, it’s not funny.” He said to me giving me a semi-dirty look.

“You’re right it’s not, I’m sorry, but love you have to relax.”

“It’s difficult right now. Can you help me?” He asked me holding up the green tie that matched my dress. Not my idea, however, it hadn’t been my idea, I blame Aidan and Dean for the matching outfits.

To give him the benefit of the doubt, I stood up and slowly walked over to him giving him a smile. He smiled back slightly as I took the tie from him and slowly tied it into place. He took my face in his hands when I was done and kissed me gently on the lips.

“I love you.” He whispered to me and I grinned and kissed him back.

“And I love you.” I murmured as we heard a knock on our hotel room door asking if we were ready.

Sure I was ready; I could hope my fiancé was. He gave me a big, bright smile and took my hand in his securely as I grabbed my purse and we headed outside in the hallway. As we headed outside of the hotel, he kissed my cheek gently before we got into the car that would take us to the world premiere. I glanced out the window still holding his hand tightly in mine as the driver drove through the streets. I stared at some mountains and couldn’t help, but smirk remembering how Richard and I met in the first place. Everything had gone wrong that day yet he literally saved my life.

Being stranded was something I would never forget along with the injuries I had sustained yet I would never forget how a handsome, strong, caring, wonderful, 6 ft 2 expert skier saved my life. All because of a heavy snowstorm that left us stranded. As I look back at what had happened before I met the love of my love, I couldn’t help, but remember how my life had been hell.


End file.
